May Roundup of Restaurant Openings and Closures + Free Food Alert

During a restaurant's fragile opening days it's safe to expect a bit of chaos. That's why it's either free or discounted for a narrow window of time. While some restaurants can only afford one soft-opening, others can sacrifice more to train their staff. In honor of an upcoming June 6 opening, Bj's in the Westfield Century City mall is giving away free food all week, until Friday, June 3. Customers who call in to make a reservation can order an appetizer, entrée from a limited menu, and Bj's signature dessert: pizookies -- all gratis, though we imagine a tip would be nice.

Also opening this summer in the Century City mall is Vanilla Bake Shop, replacing Ben & Jerry's. The shop, with a location in Santa Monica, plans on an August opening. "We are thrilled to be going into Century City," said Amy Berman, owner and executive pastry chef, "We have been delivering cakes and cupcakes to Century City, Beverly Hills and West L.A. for the last few years, and it just seemed like the right fit for us to open another location there." The shop will offer their usual cupcakes, cakes, icebox dessert shots, and assorted sweets, and will add a Century City-themed cupcake for opening day.